We were lucky to catch up with Abronique Berger recently and have shared our conversation below.
Abronique, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to hear about the best boss, mentor, or leader you’ve ever worked with.
The leader that always stands out to me is the unit director I had in the medical intensive care unit. She sought me out and pretty much interviewed me that day. She saw something in me that I didn’t. It was under her leadership that I REALLY grew into a leader. In an intensive care unit nurses have a lot of autonomy. But she allowed us to go beyond that when it came to the structure of the unit and the staff. She trusted our leadership team and coached us through decision making processes. We knew how to think critically when it came to our sick patients. But her leadership allowed us to critically think through things like conflict, collaboration with providers etc.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
My entrepreneurship journey is in the exciting beginning stages. However, nursing and mentorship is and will always be a passion of mine. Whether it was training new nurses or heading a committee. It is clear that helping others see themselves in the most positive light and encouraging them to dig into potential, just feels right. During the COVID-19 pandemic, I was house supervisor in a Level 1 trauma center. During that time, I witnessed and endured situations, in which resilience felt like my only option. It collapsed our world and systems. As we began to rebuild, I noticed residual effects of the burnout of nurses causing the exiting of the profession. That also meant…new nurses. But, these nurses did not “grow up” like my colleagues and I. Their foundation was tainted by chaos and reaction, not proactivity.
My purpose as a Nurse Coach is to help provide new nurses a foundation that will allow them to be proactive, with the forever evolving world of healthcare. A few points of emphasis are: time management, knowing the warning signs of nurse burnout, and the recognition of compassion fatigue. This will help them be their best selves, leading them to provide the best care.
Over the next few months I am opening my calendar for one on one Nurse Coaching and launching my first “I’m New Here” New Nurse Cohort.
Do you have any insights you can share related to maintaining high team morale?
I don’t currently have a team per say as an entrepreneur. But in my current primary role, I manage around 75 Nursing Assistants and 45 Travel Nurses. . Of course my travel staff change at minimum every 13 weeks. But my Nursing Assistants are my core staff. In a world of post pandemic “crisis” or problems, I feel that transparency, relationship and gratitude drive morale. It is so important that my team knows that they are more than a number, how much they are valued and how what their role impacts patient care and outcomes . Ancillary staff are the backbone of healthcare.
If you could go back in time, do you think you would have chosen a different profession or specialty?
I often say the nursing profession chose me. As a high school student, I had every intention of becoming a lawyer. During my last visit with my pediatrician, he asked about college and my plans. I told him I was going to law school. He looked and me and said. “No, you’re going to be a nurse.” The nursing profession has grown me and opened me to so many opportunities. Including this entrepreneur journey.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: coach_abronique
- Facebook: A.E. Berger
- Other: Website under construction calendar to come. Please connect with me on Facebook and Instagram for updates.